Results 4,501-4,520 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Business of Special Committee (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I agree with the Chairman. I understand that UCD may have some research which may help us in respect of the nursing homes report if we can follow that up. I understand that a very important report is being prepared.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Business of Special Committee (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: It would be very informative.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: The World Health Organization recommends that 12% of total health spend should be allocated to mental health care and, in Ireland, it was said that the figure is less than 7%. How do we compare to other countries in Europe with that spend? Older people who have been cocooning, many on their own, have experienced increased isolation and increased pressure, and some may have early-stage...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I have a small point. I agree with everything Mr. Rogan is saying but I believe there is a cohort - I honestly cannot measure it - of older people living alone who have not been coming out at all. We need to reach out to them. They are afraid for their health and do not have family supports. They are becoming increasingly isolated and there is an increasing number of issues in this...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (Resumed) (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I want to follow on from some of the questions. I welcome the witnesses and welcome the improvements in the Crosslanes facility in Drogheda. There are still issues about people who may be in drug treatment but who cannot get care because of the drug they are dependent on, although that is a separate issue. As I understand the OECD statistics, one in five of our citizens has mental health...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (Resumed) (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: The service has half the bed capacity of the average European state. That is obviously for us to address. What about my question on step-down facilities?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (Resumed) (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I do not have an issue with what Dr. Niazi is saying, and I support it, but I asked a different question.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (Resumed) (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: There is a need for residential step-down facilities, which would be far less expensive than full acute care. I can talk to the witnesses about that later. There are over 30,000 people in nursing homes and an average of 70% of these have dementia. Given the significant relationship between dementia and psychiatric co-morbidity - if that is the right phrase to use - and considering that...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (Resumed) (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I appreciate that answer and I respect what Dr. Niazi has said to me, but the question is what formal relationships the HSE has had since Covid-19 with nursing homes generally, if any. Is there any network in place?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (Resumed) (14 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I am making a different point. If 70% of these 30,000 residents have some psychiatric problems or issues, what should the HSE be doing or can the HSE come back to us with a model or proposal for this? I appreciate there is not much time for an answer but do the witnesses see that as an issue that urgently needs to be addressed?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: How many additional staff does Mr. Ó Foghlú expect to have to employ beyond the complement that is currently in these schools? Has he a breakdown of the figure into teaching and non-teaching roles?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I asked Mr. Ó Foghlú to put a figure on the additional staff complement because quite a significant amount of new people could be needed to keep, as he said, proper supervision and proper control, for substitution for sick teachers and for additional supervision, which is a huge issue. Does Mr. Ó Foghlú have a figure for this? I can ask further questions if he is able to...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Let me put it a different way. Is Mr. Ó Foghlú talking about hundreds of new staff?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: One of the reasons I am asking this is-----

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I understand that and I am not expecting Mr. Ó Foghlú to give me an exact figure. Given the timeline our Acting Chairman asked Mr. Ó Foghlú about, I think he should know. I am not being personally critical. It is a fact that large schools are going to need a lot more extra staff and there is going to be a very short time in which to get them. Garda clearance is a huge...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Regarding PPE, will every schoolchild travelling on a bus have to have a designated type of face mask? This is really a general question because there are face masks and there are face masks and it is hard to know which is the appropriate one for adults, never mind children. This is going to be a huge problem, is it not?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: Does the Department tender for PPE nationally, regionally or locally? I am just trying to get a definition of the quality.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is clear that there are huge disadvantages in terms of health, income and other factors associated with working in meat plants. That is not just in Ireland, it is in England, France and America. The working conditions such as the lower temperature, the proximity of workers to each other, the long hours that they work and the close conditions in which they live exacerbate the issue. That...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I do not disagree with Ms McGinley at all. Communities in my town of Drogheda - the migrant community, for instance - tend to be isolated and not to mix with other people. In trying to get people together across communities, we had a function in Drogheda where we had more than 30 people speaking different languages. It was a wonderful event. They showed off their culture, language,...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Meat Plants (10 Jul 2020)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank the witnesses.